12 BULLETIN 126, U:^JITF,D STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Winter.— But even in winter it still lingers wherever it can find 

 open water near its summer home and its migration is one of the 

 shortest. Mr. Shaw says that, at Sebago Lake, Maine — 



a few remain through the winter in the coldest weather spending the day in the 

 open water at the foot of the lake and in the upper part of Presumpscot River, its 

 outlet, and at night leaving for the salt water. 



It is more common on the coast of New England than in the 

 interior in the winter, but it winters in large numbers in some of the 

 Great Lakes and on the large rivers of the interior, especially in the 

 rapids and about the cascades of clear-water streams. The icy waters 

 of our northern streams have no terrors for this hardy fisherman 

 provided it can find open water and plenty of food. Rev. Manley 

 B. Townsend writes to me: 



Every winter during my residence in Nashua, N. H., 1912-1918, I noted consider- 

 able numbers of these "fish ducks" as they are locally called, between Manchester 

 and Nashua. Even in the coldest, most inclement weather, when the Merrimack 

 was frozen several feet deep, these birds could be seen sitting on the ice about the 

 rapids, where the swiftly flowing water kept the river free from ice, or swimming 

 and diving in careless abandon. I once counted 40 on the ice or in the water at a 

 single rapid. Fish seemed to be abundant. The birds apparently wintered well. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Breeding range. — Northern States and Canada entirely ticross the 

 continent. South to west central Nova Scotia (Gaspereaux Lakes), 

 southern Maine (Washington to Cumberland Counties), central New 

 Ilampshire (White Mountain region), central Vermont (Windsor 

 County), central New York (Adirondacks and Cayuga County), 

 southern Ontario (Parry Sound and Red Bay), central Michigan (Josco 

 County), northeastern Wisconsin (Dorr County), southwestern Min- 

 nesota (Heron Lake), southwestern South Dakota (Black Hills), 

 northern New Mexico (near Santa Fe), north central Arizona (Fort 

 Verde), and central California (Tulare County). South formerly, and 

 perhaps casually now, to the mountain regions of western Massachu- 

 setts, central Pennsylvania and in Ohio. North to the base of the 

 Alaska Peninsula (lak Lake), southern Yukon (Lake Tagish), south- 

 ern Mackenzie (Great Slave Lake), Hudson Bay (York Factory and 

 Norway House), southern Ungava, central Labrador (Hamilton 

 River), and Newfoundland (Humber River). 



Winter range. — Mainly within the United States, including practi- 

 cally all of them. South to central western Florida (Tampa Bay); 

 the Gulf coasts of Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas; northern Mexico 

 (Sonora and Chihuahua) ; and northern Lower California (Colorado 

 delta). North to the Aleutian Islands, rarely to the Pribilof Islands, 

 regularly to southern British Columbia (Chilli wack and Comox), the 

 Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence valley, and Prince Edward Island. 



